Ontario Co-operative Housing Federations
We all belong to one community.
The Ontario Co-operative Housing Federation (OCHF) is a partnership of the five regional Co-operative Housing Federations of Ontario.
OCHF supports the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives
Co-operation Among Co-operatives
By working together, the local Federations can share best practices, resources and buying power to provide optimal support to the co-ops in each region and the members of each co-op.
Co-op Housing
A Good Place to Call Home
Housing co-ops are in every neighbourhood in the city. A co-op can be a medium size apartment building or townhouses. People who live in co-ops come from every walk of life.
They are people with different backgrounds, varied incomes and sometimes they are people with special needs. These diverse and vibrant communities are the unique strength of housing co-ops.
Co-ops have both market units and subsidized units. Co-ops call units "market units" if the member is paying the full market price. "Subsidized units" are units where the member is paying only a portion of the full market price. The balance of the housing charge is paid by the subsidy program that the co-op works with.
How do Co-ops Work?
Co-op housing is member controlled housing. The members who live in a co-op are the ones responsible for running the co-op. Each member has a vote and every year members elect a Board of Directors from the membership.
Co-ops follow the 7 Co-operative Principles. To learn more about these principles, click here.
Local Federations
Your local co-operative housing Federation provides key governance support to co-ops in the areas of:
- Programs
- Services
- Education
- Advocacy
Learn more about your local Federation by visiting them online.
GHCHF
- Hamilton
- Niagara
COCHF
- Brantford
- Cambridge
- Guelph
- Kitchener
- Waterloo
PHCHF
- Peel
- Halton
- Dufferin
CHFT
- Durham
- Toronto
- York
CHASEO
- Ottawa
- Brockville
- Belleville
Co-op housing fosters strong, affordable communities that offer security of tenure and member ownership.
Co-op housing is an integral part of a viable solution to the Ontario housing crisis.
Resources
Finding a Co-op
Your local Federation can support you with a listing of all the co-ops in their region. They do not place people in a co-op, but they can direct you to the co-op management staff.
To apply for membership in a co-op, please contact the co-op of interest directly.
National Housing Strategy
The federal government is re-engaging in affordable housing through the National Housing Strategy. It provides a platform for the public, private and non-profit sectors to come together. Their collaborative efforts will provide more Canadians with a place to call home. Learn more…
Use Your Voice
New co-op housing is needed now. To build co-op housing on the scale that is needed, it will take funding and support from all levels of government.
Use your voice to speak up for more co-op housing. Tell the federal government to launch the co-operative housing development program without delay.
